Numerous approaches have been taken in the development of spinning reels in which the fishing line is drawn off of a spool in the casting of the line. Such reels are typically of the open face or closed face type; i.e., in the open face type a bail is positioned for pivotal movement into and away from outer concentric relation to the line spool but the spool is not otherwise covered or enclosed. In the closed face type, the line spool is at least partially enclosed and the line is drawn out, for example, through a central opening in the enclosure.
Representative of spinning reels of the closed face variety is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,652,990 to D. B. Ferguson in which the fishing line is wound on a normally stationary spool and is adapted to be drawn off the end of the spool around a cylindrical guide and through an opening in the front end of a housing which encloses the spool. In order to wind the fishing line back onto the spool, a pair of pins on a winding device project in outer spaced concentric relation to the spool and the guide is shifted into a position receiving the pins so that the line is constrained to pass outwardly around one of the pins. Accordingly, as the pins rotate, the line will be forced onto the spool. In this arrangement, the guide member must be shifted away from the pins to afford clearance for forward travel of the line in permitting it to freely unwind without interference from the pins. However, there is the danger that, since the pines remain stationary, the line may become snagged on the pins in the released position when there is any slack in the line.
Other spinning reels of the closed face type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,160,363 to J. M. Holahan; 3,351,301 to G. L. Bretton; 2,613,468 to J. B. Hand; 3,329,373 to G. A. Wood, Jr.; 2,879,954 and 3,298,29 to E. F. Small. In Holahan, a closed face spinning reel imparts drag by means of a frictional washer urged against holding pins. Other internal drag collar arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Patent to Wood, Jr., Hand and Small. U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,766 to E. Salmivuori discloses a level wind mechanism, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,281 to A. L. Jackson discloses utilization of frictional disks for bearing surfaces to create drag.